If you are considering joining one of our courses and you are now returning to formal education after a break to start
your career, you may benefit from the following article.
For many years, researchers into educational techniques have postulated that every person has an optimum way of
learning new information. Students assimilate information in different ways; ways that may vary from standard learning
methods.
There are, of course, many variables that affect how you learn, including physical, emotional, sociological, and
environmental factors. You may learn best, for example, when the light is bright, while working alone in a structured,
neatly organised work environment, unable to concentrate unless your room is silent. Alternatively perhaps you learn
better in low light, with peers in a class situation, (preferably from an authority figure such as a parent or teacher), with
background sounds like music, and spreading everything out where you can see it.
It has been suggested that we all have more than one style of learning and different types of intelligence. These have
been the keys to developing new forms of learning techniques, including “Quantum Learning” and “Accelerated
Learning”. Knowledge of these techniques and your own preferred personal learning style can be a key to improved
performance in your work, in educational environments, and in your interpersonal relationships. When you're aware of
how you receive, perceive, and process information, you can make learning easier by working within your own style. As
you become familiar with your personal learning style, you can take important steps to help yourself learn faster and more
easily. Plus, through learning how to decipher the learning styles of others, like your boss, colleagues, teacher, spouse,
parents, and children, you can help to strengthen your rapport with them.
your career, you may benefit from the following article.
For many years, researchers into educational techniques have postulated that every person has an optimum way of
learning new information. Students assimilate information in different ways; ways that may vary from standard learning
methods.
There are, of course, many variables that affect how you learn, including physical, emotional, sociological, and
environmental factors. You may learn best, for example, when the light is bright, while working alone in a structured,
neatly organised work environment, unable to concentrate unless your room is silent. Alternatively perhaps you learn
better in low light, with peers in a class situation, (preferably from an authority figure such as a parent or teacher), with
background sounds like music, and spreading everything out where you can see it.
It has been suggested that we all have more than one style of learning and different types of intelligence. These have
been the keys to developing new forms of learning techniques, including “Quantum Learning” and “Accelerated
Learning”. Knowledge of these techniques and your own preferred personal learning style can be a key to improved
performance in your work, in educational environments, and in your interpersonal relationships. When you're aware of
how you receive, perceive, and process information, you can make learning easier by working within your own style. As
you become familiar with your personal learning style, you can take important steps to help yourself learn faster and more
easily. Plus, through learning how to decipher the learning styles of others, like your boss, colleagues, teacher, spouse,
parents, and children, you can help to strengthen your rapport with them.
Students Area
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
For any student of any subject:
| WHAT STYLE OF LEARNER ARE YOU? |
LEARNING CATEGORIES
Researchers generally agree that there are two major categories of how you learn. Firstly, how you receive and perceive
information most easily (modality), and second, how you organise and process that information (brain dominance). Your
learning style is a combination of how you receive and perceive, then organise and process that information. In this article
we will focus on modality (the perceptual aspect of the learning experience).
Researchers generally agree that there are two major categories of how you learn. Firstly, how you receive and perceive
information most easily (modality), and second, how you organise and process that information (brain dominance). Your
learning style is a combination of how you receive and perceive, then organise and process that information. In this article
we will focus on modality (the perceptual aspect of the learning experience).
VISUAL, AUDITORY, OR KINAESTHETIC?
Do you catch yourself saying things like "That looks right to me," or "I get the picture"? Or are you more likely to say,
"That sounds right to me" or "That rings a bell"? Expressions like these may be clues to your preferred modality.
If you couldn't see or hear, or if you couldn't feel texture, shape, temperature, weight, or resistance in the environment,
you would literally have no way of learning. You do learn in many ways, yet you usually favour one modality over the
others. You probably don't realise you are favouring one way, because nothing external tells you that you're any different
from anyone else. Knowing that there are differences goes a long way toward explaining things like why you may have
problems understanding and communicating with some people and not with others, and why you handle some situations
more easily than others.
How do you discover your own preferred modality? One simple way is to listen for clues in your speech, as in the
expressions above. Another way is to notice your behaviour when you attend a seminar or workshop. Do you seem to
get more from reading the handout or from listening to the presenter? If you are predominantly an AUDITORY learner,
you will prefer listening to the material. Do you find you sometimes get lost if you try to take notes on the subject during
the presentation? As a VISUAL learner, you will probably prefer to read the handouts and look at the illustrations the
presenter puts on the board. You also take excellent notes! Of course, if you are a KINAESTHETIC learner, you will do
best in "hands on" activities and group interaction.
An example: suppose you've just purchased one of those DIY Kitchen Units from Focus DIY, IKEA, Moben, or the like. It
comes in umpteen separate pieces, accompanied by a large instruction sheet to help you assemble it. How do you
manage this? Does everything you read in the instructions seem vague and unclear until you look at the illustration and
start putting the pieces together yourself? Or does the opposite happen: You're baffled by the array of parts, but when
you read the instructions, everything seems perfectly clear?
If you need to start working with the parts physically, you're probably a kinaesthetic learner. If reading the instructions
clarifies things for you, you're most likely visual. If you can't make it work from instructions or drawings, but when you call
the company and someone tells you how to put the thing together, it all begins to make sense, that's a definite clue
that your style is auditory.
Maybe you are one of those people who did well in primary school but by the time you got to college you started
fumbling or even failing classes. This happens to many people, and most of them have no idea what happened to make
them start feeling so incompetent. The truth is, there was probably a conflict between your preferred learning modality
and the teacher's teaching style. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in the switch from Primary/Secondary School to
College/University, because instruction switches from being highly visual to being mostly auditory. So if you are a visual
learner, (you are part of a high percentage of the population), you will suddenly have found that you didn’t comprehend
as well as you once did.
It has been noted that in every group of thirty students, an average of twenty-two are able to learn effectively enough
visually, auditorily, and kinaesthetically. So they don't need any special attention. Of the remaining eight students, about
six prefer one of the modalities over the other two so strongly that they struggle to understand the instructions most of
the time, unless special care is taken to present it in their preferred mode. If you are one of these people, knowing your
best learning modality can mean the difference between success and failure. (PS The remaining two students have
difficulty learning due to other external causes).
Of course, if you are one of the twenty-two, you can still benefit from knowing your best learning style, visual, auditory,
or kinaesthetic (V-A-K). As the terms suggest, visual people learn through what they see, auditory learners from what
they hear, and kinaesthetic learners from movement and touching. Although you learn in all three of these modalities to
some degree, you will prefer one over the other two. If at the beginning of your next learning experience, you can
identify your own preferred modality, you can adapt your study materials to suit. For example, auditory learners could use
tapes, CD’s or MP3 recordings. Visual learners can obviously use books, handouts, image, video tapes, DVD’s. If you are
kinaesthetic the theory aspect of some courses are going to be more of a problem, so why not mix forms writing notes,
recording your own voice, drawing images, and building or using models. OR choose practical based courses like massage.
Do you catch yourself saying things like "That looks right to me," or "I get the picture"? Or are you more likely to say,
"That sounds right to me" or "That rings a bell"? Expressions like these may be clues to your preferred modality.
If you couldn't see or hear, or if you couldn't feel texture, shape, temperature, weight, or resistance in the environment,
you would literally have no way of learning. You do learn in many ways, yet you usually favour one modality over the
others. You probably don't realise you are favouring one way, because nothing external tells you that you're any different
from anyone else. Knowing that there are differences goes a long way toward explaining things like why you may have
problems understanding and communicating with some people and not with others, and why you handle some situations
more easily than others.
How do you discover your own preferred modality? One simple way is to listen for clues in your speech, as in the
expressions above. Another way is to notice your behaviour when you attend a seminar or workshop. Do you seem to
get more from reading the handout or from listening to the presenter? If you are predominantly an AUDITORY learner,
you will prefer listening to the material. Do you find you sometimes get lost if you try to take notes on the subject during
the presentation? As a VISUAL learner, you will probably prefer to read the handouts and look at the illustrations the
presenter puts on the board. You also take excellent notes! Of course, if you are a KINAESTHETIC learner, you will do
best in "hands on" activities and group interaction.
An example: suppose you've just purchased one of those DIY Kitchen Units from Focus DIY, IKEA, Moben, or the like. It
comes in umpteen separate pieces, accompanied by a large instruction sheet to help you assemble it. How do you
manage this? Does everything you read in the instructions seem vague and unclear until you look at the illustration and
start putting the pieces together yourself? Or does the opposite happen: You're baffled by the array of parts, but when
you read the instructions, everything seems perfectly clear?
If you need to start working with the parts physically, you're probably a kinaesthetic learner. If reading the instructions
clarifies things for you, you're most likely visual. If you can't make it work from instructions or drawings, but when you call
the company and someone tells you how to put the thing together, it all begins to make sense, that's a definite clue
that your style is auditory.
Maybe you are one of those people who did well in primary school but by the time you got to college you started
fumbling or even failing classes. This happens to many people, and most of them have no idea what happened to make
them start feeling so incompetent. The truth is, there was probably a conflict between your preferred learning modality
and the teacher's teaching style. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in the switch from Primary/Secondary School to
College/University, because instruction switches from being highly visual to being mostly auditory. So if you are a visual
learner, (you are part of a high percentage of the population), you will suddenly have found that you didn’t comprehend
as well as you once did.
It has been noted that in every group of thirty students, an average of twenty-two are able to learn effectively enough
visually, auditorily, and kinaesthetically. So they don't need any special attention. Of the remaining eight students, about
six prefer one of the modalities over the other two so strongly that they struggle to understand the instructions most of
the time, unless special care is taken to present it in their preferred mode. If you are one of these people, knowing your
best learning modality can mean the difference between success and failure. (PS The remaining two students have
difficulty learning due to other external causes).
Of course, if you are one of the twenty-two, you can still benefit from knowing your best learning style, visual, auditory,
or kinaesthetic (V-A-K). As the terms suggest, visual people learn through what they see, auditory learners from what
they hear, and kinaesthetic learners from movement and touching. Although you learn in all three of these modalities to
some degree, you will prefer one over the other two. If at the beginning of your next learning experience, you can
identify your own preferred modality, you can adapt your study materials to suit. For example, auditory learners could use
tapes, CD’s or MP3 recordings. Visual learners can obviously use books, handouts, image, video tapes, DVD’s. If you are
kinaesthetic the theory aspect of some courses are going to be more of a problem, so why not mix forms writing notes,
recording your own voice, drawing images, and building or using models. OR choose practical based courses like massage.
Another excellent resource is Nightingale Conant. They stock a wide variety of Accelerated Learning/Self Development packages and books. These include Dominic O'Brian's
"Quantum Memory Power" (see link above) and titles by the likes of Chopra, Robbins, Scheinfeld, Tracey, and Ziglar. Among many titles and authors the Accelerated Learning
programme(see link right) by Brian Tracey & Colin Rose, stands out.
"Quantum Memory Power" (see link above) and titles by the likes of Chopra, Robbins, Scheinfeld, Tracey, and Ziglar. Among many titles and authors the Accelerated Learning
programme(see link right) by Brian Tracey & Colin Rose, stands out.
ADDENDUM
It's easy to decipher the modalities of other people in your life just by noticing what words they use when they are communicating with you. These words are called predicates,
or "process words." When a situation is perceived in someone's mind, it's processed in whatever modality the person prefers; the words and phrases the person uses to describe
it reflect that person's personal modality. Once you identify a person's predicates, you can make a point of matching their language when you speak to them. Besides using
process words that the person can relate to, you can also match the speed at which they talk. Visuals speak quickly, auditories at medium speed, and kinaesthetics more slowly.
Here's a trick you can use during phone conversations. If you're talking to a visual, stand up - it will make you talk faster automatically. If you're talking to a kinaesthetic, sit down
and put your feet up - it will slow you down. Matching your modality to another's is a great way to create rapport and an atmosphere of understanding.
Another tip: recognising another person's preferred learning modality is an important key to making your most effective presentation. For instance, if you know your boss is
visual, you're much more likely to get your point across if you use visual materials, such as slides and handouts, in a presentation.
It's easy to decipher the modalities of other people in your life just by noticing what words they use when they are communicating with you. These words are called predicates,
or "process words." When a situation is perceived in someone's mind, it's processed in whatever modality the person prefers; the words and phrases the person uses to describe
it reflect that person's personal modality. Once you identify a person's predicates, you can make a point of matching their language when you speak to them. Besides using
process words that the person can relate to, you can also match the speed at which they talk. Visuals speak quickly, auditories at medium speed, and kinaesthetics more slowly.
Here's a trick you can use during phone conversations. If you're talking to a visual, stand up - it will make you talk faster automatically. If you're talking to a kinaesthetic, sit down
and put your feet up - it will slow you down. Matching your modality to another's is a great way to create rapport and an atmosphere of understanding.
Another tip: recognising another person's preferred learning modality is an important key to making your most effective presentation. For instance, if you know your boss is
visual, you're much more likely to get your point across if you use visual materials, such as slides and handouts, in a presentation.
If you would like to purchase any of the products above:
- For Quantum Learning place your cursor pointer
on the image. - For availability details from Amazon, or click on
the image to be taken to the Amazon sales page. - For the other two click on the image to be taken
to the Nightingale Conant Site.
The Active School of Complementary Therapy
| © Copyright 2010 Active Recovery Ltd All Rights Reserved Gaia Centre for Holistic Therapy, 17 Frederick Street Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3BH email: admin@activetherapyschool.co.uk Tel 1: 01509 556101 Tel 2: 07908 596673 |
Many other behavioural traits are clues to your preference as well. If you would like to learn more we suggest you check out the Quantum Learning book, available through
Amazon (see above).
If you are an AUDITORY Learner, you could also check out the MP3 Bookstore. We recently came across this online store and noted that they've got some great personal
development audio books to listen to whilst working and travelling. They provide full instructions on how to download their files and then “burn” them to CD if you so require.
They also have a good range of other titles, everything from business such as Rich Dad Poor Dad, biographies, language courses, novels like Stephen King and even BBC’s
Blackadder. What’s more they are cheaper than the real books and delivered instantly! If you have an ipod or cd player that you listen to regularly this is a great way, (especially
you audio learners), to use that ‘spare’ time to catch up on a bit of learning. Nowadays, over 50% of adults have a player but increasingly, instead of music, we are listening to
the spoken word, whether it’s an audio book or some kind of audio training or podcast. In fact in one survey of ipod wearing individuals over half weren't listening to music but
were listening so some kind of spoken recording.